Cowell rose to fame in the U.S. as a judge on the first nine seasons of American Idol, but along the way, he created the Got Talent format — starting with AGT in 2006 — and has been a judge on Britain’s Got Talent since its debut in 2007. (It was on the latter show where the cantankerous Brit famously discovered Susan Boyle.) He hasn’t had a regular on-camera gig in the U.S. since The X Factor ended its three-season run on Fox in 2013.

A spot on the America’s Got Talent panel became available when Howard Stern stepped down at the end of Season 10, following a four-year run.

“I am really thrilled to be joining America’s Got Talent next season,” said Cowell, in a statement. “What I love about this show is that it’s open to absolutely anyone. America has some fantastic talent just waiting to be discovered, and I would like that talent to come to our show, including any dogs who can sing!”

Auditions for the upcoming Season 11 of America’s Got Talent will kick off in Detroit on Nov. 7 and make stops in 12 U.S. cities, including New York (Nov. 14), Phoenix (Dec. 3), Salt Lake City (Dec.5), Las Vegas (Dec. 6) and San Jose (Dec. 8).